10/7/2023 - aka_ces wrote:

very similar to this taster's note from 3yrs ago, likely less acid, less fruit

7/2/2023 - aka_ces wrote:

Fruit transitioning to a port-like sweet caramelization; viscous w/o being cloying thanks to a slightly orange-vinegar current. Stored at 56F since purchase.

4/7/2023 - aka_ces wrote:

First 45mins nose & tongue a blueberry/strawberry jam collage w/ smooth, finely-articulated tannins and minimal acid but no cloying viscosity, then the texture of tannins breaking down, and a milk chocolate cinnamon emerges & becomes a desert wine, no desert itself! that could have started drinking w/ the steak.

Stored at 56F since purchase in 2004.

11/27/2021 - aka_ces wrote:

Sweet & soft at first, then fruit dampens after 15mins, in favor of smoke & tart-dry-cherry; finally the sweets return after finishing the Thanksgiving Lamb, the usual after-meat-fat transform.
Storage at 56F continues to reward.

11/27/2021 - aka_ces wrote:

Folllow-up to 2014 -- complexities of that time have merged into a rich funnel of butterscotch-mint-alcohol; viscosity has surmounted tannins, though no flab.
Long-term storage at 56F continues to reward. Alas, the last bottle.

8/18/2021 - aka_ces wrote:

On opening, zesty acidity and impulsive aromatics say "dont drink 'til I settle down."
Settled after about 30mins, fruit still vital under a piercing misty sweet alcohol robe. Viscous & yet full-bodied w/ still-present underlying tannins. Continues to drink well, w/ steak, over 3 days.
Unexpected excellent condition; stored at 56F since purchase on release.

8/16/2020 - aka_ces wrote:

Sweet/sour fruit biased slightly to sour, vital acid but not acidic, and a precise, subtle stony-smokey note ends the last sip. Not especially complex, per the consensus here, but excellent balance.

Stored at 56F since purchase, drinking from 20 to 50 minutes after opening.

2/20/2019 - aka_ces wrote:

Decanted for an hour, pairing w/ morsels of New York strip, a perfect 1-2 sip: earthy, sweet, structurally matched for the steak, viscous, and nuanced with a light tight line of acid effervescence. Stored at 56F since release.

2/11/2018 - aka_ces wrote:

Muffled sweet cherry perfume; both tannic and viscous, tongue more of earth than fruit, some cinnamon, moderate acid. Transported Dec 2000 from Trimani in Rome @57K lira/E29,44, to US, stored at 56F since.

12/7/2017 - aka_ces wrote:

The Un-Cali -- cedar, graphite, cinnamon, coffee & cocoa beans on nose & tongue, young tannins, eye dark; still mostly closed, or fruit has departed ? Incredible value, stored at 56F since purchase.

11/23/2017 - aka_ces wrote:

Concentrated, fresh sour cherry, subtle vanillins, diffused but still solid tannins, high-sobriety white pepper/dry/stony meat; wonderful balance. Decanted 2 hours after 20yrs at 56F.

10/22/2017 - aka_ces wrote:

Well-balanced and holding up well: sweet but not too sweet -- oak more woody than vanili, lively spice, still-zesty acid, and subtle/precise tannins, medium body. Stored at 56F since purchase at time of release. Decanted 40mins, reviewed portion drunk during following hour

3/12/2016 - aka_ces wrote:

This Toscana has become the "very very elegant and balanced wine" that BAARTMAN anticipated in 2007. The herbal spices noted earlier are now in a sweeter, nutmeg register, and overshadow the not-so-much, dark, berry fruit. Tannins subtle and precise, not at all worn down, and well-balanced with moderate, still-fresh acid. Cellared at 56F since purchase at release.

11/22/2015 - aka_ces wrote:

All-brick, with strong gun-barrel on opening, then nutmeg and other sweet-spice aromatics after 15 minutes. Drinks well over the hour consumed, tannins soft but distinct, and a vital, surprisingly sharp, finish. Stored 56F since purchase ~'92.

11/9/2015 - aka_ces wrote:

Perhaps some port-like viscosity, but has gone sour. Stored at 56F since purchase at time of release, so not due to poor storage.

3/12/2015 - aka_ces wrote:

Drinking very well. Distinctive flavors for a cab, a mix of cranberry sours and rusty leather with a very light spicy sweetness underneath. Tannins have softened but remain articulate, moderately viscous, and fruit is still juicy. The last(?) bottle of a half-case purchased at release, earlier dense and closed, now pleasantly open. Stored ~56F since purchase.

2/27/2015 - aka_ces wrote:

Like several of the previous accounts, purchased and cellared at time of release, and I am likewise pleased with the continued, surprising vitality of this wine. To previous assessments, will add mention of attractive ceders.

12/13/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Very much as described by meqoubal36, to which I would add that it is still quite dry, dark brick-red, and moderately viscous. Finish leaves a subtle-sweet cinnamon 'hot' streak along the lines of an American candy known as 'Red Hots' ! Very nice w/ steak. Cellared at 56F since early-90s purchase.

11/30/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Smoke, meat, and pepper on nose and tongue, tannins strong, not breaking down; moderate viscosity and finish. Decanted 4 hours before pour; drinking well after 22 years. Stored 56F since mid-90s purchase.

11/28/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Nose of understated butterscotch, forest floor, nutmeg, mint, & anisette; a subtle sweetness floats over. Tastes juicy with everything of the nose; tannins are giving way to tannin-grains, still very dry. When opened, the same nose at much higher volume, no hint of the nasties mentioned here in 2013. Drinking began about 6 hours later.

9/15/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Dense, intense coffee, chocolate, blueberry, and a strong dryness -- it's not a dry wine, but a wine with a dry layer, a dry streak, amidst overpowering flavor and sweetness butterscotchy rather than strongly oaky-vanillin, though that's there. It's the dry streak that makes it work with steak in a way that a desert wine would not. Exceedingly intense finish. S.H. at WS said "It’s impossible not to be impressed and troubled by a wine such as this;" I concur -- this is almost a desert wine, but is more like a hypothetical vintage kahlua.

8/24/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Musty, earthy, cherry-cola leather, gently sweet. Viscous, minimal tannins. Dark. Enjoyed over three days. Cellared at 56F since purchase ~2005.

7/4/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Limited range of sharp, zesty raspberry/boysenberry and sage, likely better w/ barbecue rather than w/ the roast chicken that was at hand.

6/14/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Blood-red, still well-intact and balanced, cedar and smooth, sweet blackcurrent on worn-down tannins. Neither distinguished nor complex but drinks pleasantly, very good QPR. Cellered at 56F since purchase at release and decanted an hour.

5/26/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Rusty-red, moderate tannins, acid still zests, nose and taste of concentrated coffee-leather and sweet spice. Pairs well w/ NY Strip and sautéed pork on successive days, decanted an hour on each. At 56F since early 90s purchase at $30, discounted from $35.

5/12/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Blackish purple-red fruit. Smoke, pepper, and oregano nose opens in glass; dry, dense, stoney, closed cherry fruit; clean acid. Gets a little softer, a little more open, even some sweet. A new leather chair (new-leather chair smell!) that you’re breaking in. Started w/ sauted chicken and then sauted pork (leftovers) but more enjoyable after that’s gone. Very well made.

5/10/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Low intensity merlot-cola, moderate tannins and acid, sweet-spice, not very complex. Cellered at 56F since purchase at release.

5/9/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Dark, w/ inky-grape nose, strong tannins, large juicy concentrated fruit w/ a tannin-balancing band of subtle vanillin sweet; lucid acid. A pleasurefull balance of bigs.

5/4/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

After 1hr decant, a balance of sweet cherry and gun-barrel on nose and in mouth; fine, smooth tannins, & still-bright finish, 59-62F in glass. 2nd day, after fridged and vacuum-packed at 40F then decanted for 1hr — same qualities somewhat muted; as glass gets to 66F nutmeg-toffee dominates, w/ tannins more evident after accompanying pork roast is finished. Stored at 56F since purchase in early 90s, at $13.99, discounted from $29.99 (!).

4/13/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Fruit mostly gone, vegatal-graphite-gunbarrel-mintiness of nose makes a far stronger impression than in-mouth, where diffuse but ever-present tannins still balanced with acids which continue into a moderate finish. 24yrs old but hardly viscous. Stored at 56F since purchase in early 90s.

3/30/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

Nose and fruit a strong sweet-spice lacking complexity, tannins well-resolved, vital acid, strong finish. 56F since original purchase in early 90s. Very pleasant drinking.

1/1/2014 - aka_ces wrote:

With lamb!

On opening, sweet grenache fruit and cloves -- usually takes a few hours for a Chateuneuf to open to this extent. No sediment. Concern about pending fruit evaporation is unrealized, as this wine then pairs beautifully with the lamb 40mins later, with tannins sufficient to tongue-scrape the lamb fat, and then the tannins, balanced w/ still juicy acid, amplify after the lamb is finished. My guess is that 56F cellaring since purchase around '93 explains the difference between this one and other reports of faded early 90s CNdPs.

11/28/2013 - aka_ces wrote:

Classic Bordeaux slate/gunbarrel, balanced to a unusually high degree with vibrant, fresh, juicy, lightly sweet blueberry(?) fruit. Started drinking after 45mins decant, and over next 30mins the tannins transition from finely broken down to a moderately viscous integration with the fruit and still-present, subtle acid. An unexpected pleasure, cellared at 56F since early 90s purchase at $13, discounted from $24.

3/10/2013 - aka_ces wrote:

Continues to pair well with a heavy, tomato-garlic-caper sauce (on trout this time!); acid and tannins both softer-edged but still assertive, the tannins also tightly coupled with a strongly smoky, rustic fruit which dominates the nose. Cleared at 56F since purchase, drunk from 62-66F.

3/2/2013 - aka_ces Likes this wine:

Cedery leather-current, full body, fine tannins, underlying rustic/mushroom. Beautiful w/ a NY Strip. Cellered at 56F since purchase at release, decanted 1hr, and drunk over an hour at 62F. 2 more from the original case remain, for the next 12 mos. Delicious.

9/23/2012 - aka_ces wrote:

Dark, no bricking on this 24 year-old wine. Tobacco, graphite, tar, pepper, subtle meatiness & herbs; no fruit, no sweets. Beautiful balance of soft, juicy full-body and worn-down, finely articulated tannins; menthol prominent in nose & finish. Cellered 20 yrs at 56F.

6/11/2011 - aka_ces wrote:

Opened first of several bottles cellared at 56F since purchase at time of release. Tannins lucid and subtle, fruit flavor is subdued, earthy, yet juicy. Delicious w/ steak. By no means fading.